You’ve seen the grainy footage of a motorcade winding through the lush, wooded outskirts of Wilmington. Maybe you've heard the jokes about the Corvette in the garage. But Joe Biden’s Delaware home—specifically the custom-built lakeside estate in Greenville—is more than just a place where a guy from Scranton parks his car. It’s a physical map of a 50-year political career, a source of major controversy, and honestly, a bit of a real estate obsession for the man himself.
People often talk about the White House as the ultimate "work from home" setup. For Biden, though, Delaware has always been the real home base. He wasn’t a guy who "moved" to D.C. He was the guy who spent 36 years riding the Amtrak back to Wilmington every single night. That commute wasn't just for show; it was rooted in the dirt of a 4-acre plot on Barley Mill Road.
The House That "Ate Cash"
Before we get into the current Wilmington property, we have to talk about "The Station." That was Biden's previous home, a massive 10,000-square-foot DuPont mansion he bought for a steal—$185,000 back in 1975.
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The thing was a wreck. He spent twenty years and a lot of his Senate salary just keeping the lights on. Richard Ben Cramer, the legendary journalist, once wrote that the house "loves cash." It ate everything he earned. When he finally sold it in 1996 for $1.2 million, he didn't go buy a condo. He bought a plot of land nearby and built the house he lives in today.
The current Joe Biden Delaware home in the Greenville area is tucked away. You can’t see it from the street. It’s a 6-bedroom, 7-bath sanctuary that was finished in 1998. It sits right on a lake and is currently valued at anywhere from $1.6 million to over $2 million, depending on which appraiser you ask. It’s got that classic, understated North Delaware vibe—lots of stone, lots of trees, and a very long driveway that the Secret Service has come to know intimately.
Not Just One House
It’s a common mistake to think there’s only one "Biden home." There are actually two primary residences in the First State:
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- The Wilmington Estate: The primary residence in Greenville. This is where the family gathers and where the "garage" drama unfolded.
- The Rehoboth Beach House: A $2.7 million "summer White House" purchased in 2017 after the Bidens left the Vice Presidency.
The beach house was a promise. Joe apparently told Jill for decades that he’d get her a place at the shore. Once the book deals and speaking fees from the post-VP years started rolling in, he finally pulled the trigger. It’s a three-story Cape Cod style home with an outdoor kitchen and a view of Cape Henlopen State Park.
The Classified Documents and the Garage
You can't talk about the Wilmington house without mentioning the garage. In early 2023, the world learned that classified documents from Biden's time as VP were found in his home library and his garage.
It was a mess. A Special Counsel investigation followed. Robert Hur’s report eventually described the storage situation as "haphazard," with documents found in "badly damaged" boxes near things like a collapsed dog bed and an empty bucket. It painted a picture of a home that was lived-in, cluttered, and perhaps a little too casual for Top Secret files.
While Hur ultimately declined to bring charges, the incident turned the Joe Biden Delaware home into a crime scene—or at least a very high-stakes storage unit—in the eyes of the public. It highlighted the friction between a private citizen's life and the rigid requirements of national security.
Why He Never Left
Why stay in Delaware? Most politicians of his stature move to the McLean suburbs of Virginia or a swanky D.C. townhouse.
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Biden’s identity is wrapped up in being "the guy from Delaware." The house is a symbol of that. It’s where he raised his sons, Beau and Hunter, after the tragic 1972 car accident. It’s where he retreated after every legislative win or loss in Washington.
The property also reveals his "seduced by real estate" side. In his own autobiography, Promises to Keep, he admits he was often "mortgaged up to his eyeballs" because he kept buying bigger, more historic properties than he could afford. He’s a house guy. He likes the bones of old buildings and the privacy of a large lot.
Practical Insights for the Real Estate Enthusiast
If you're looking at the Biden real estate portfolio for lessons or just out of curiosity, here’s what sticks out:
- Greenville is the spot: If you want to live near the Biden estate, look at the Greenville/Montchanin area. It’s some of the most expensive and prestigious land in Delaware.
- The "Biden Bump": Properties near the Rehoboth Beach house saw a surge in interest and value once it became a presidential retreat. Security is tighter, sure, but the prestige is real.
- Privacy has a price: The Wilmington home is nearly invisible from public roads. If you’re looking for a high-profile property, remember that the cost of security (fences, sensors, outbuildings) can sometimes rival the cost of the home itself.
The Joe Biden Delaware home isn't just a building; it’s a fortress of memory and a lightning rod for political debate. Whether it's the 1990s custom build or the 2017 beach getaway, these properties are the most personal artifacts of a long, complicated life in the public eye.
To get a better sense of how the Biden property fits into the local landscape, you can research the New Castle County property records or look into the history of the DuPont estates in the Brandywine Valley. These neighborhoods were built on "old money" chemical fortunes, and the Biden estate is one of the few that carved out a new legacy in that historic soil.